Five years after releasing her debut EP, Lesa X Lenny Vol.1, Chief Cleopatra has gone from small local gigs to landing a coveted spot at this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. Originally from Corsicana, Texas, Cleo is now based in Austin and is preparing to perform on the IHG stage this Sunday at 12:30 pm. As Cleo prepares for her ACL debut, she reflects on this career milestone and how she’s embracing her moment in the spotlight.
The Daily Texan: You’ve come a long way from Corsicana to performing on one of Austin’s biggest stages. Can you share how your journey shaped you as an artist?
Chief Cleopatra: I grew up listening to church and choir (music). That shaped me (early on). I learned to play drums as a kid, which later helped me write and produce my songs. After high school, I started playing in rock bands as a drummer, and everything kind of stemmed around the drums at first. Then I made my way to Austin in my early 20s to try to start a career, but I wasn’t ready yet. I moved back to Corsicana about a year later then came back to Austin to attend Texas State in San Marcos, where I met Leonard, my guitarist, who I had been collaborating with. We were in and out of bands from 2014 to 2016. By 2018, I went solo and Leonard stuck with me. In 2019, I released my first acoustic EP.
DT: Did you ever imagine performing at ACL?
CC: No, never in my wildest dreams. I remember going to ACL like seven years ago and seeing all these artists I grew up listening to perform right in front of me was mind-boggling. I can only imagine what it will be like to see some of my current favorite artists on the side stage. I never would have thought this would happen in a million years.
DT: You mentioned this is one of the biggest stages you’ve performed on so far in your career. How do you mentally prepare for a performance like this?
CC: Honestly, … I meditate. I have to calm my brain because there’s so much going on before ACL starts. I’ve had to quiet my brain down and realize that this is just a performance, it will come and go, but just be excited in the moment. Just relax, (and) have fun. When game day arrives, I’ll be ready, but right now, I’m just kind of relaxing my brain as much as I can. Because you (can’t) really prepare (for something like this). You just have to go out there, know what you’re doing and do it.
DT: Your music style combines a few different genres. How does it feel to bring your unique sound to ACL’s lineup as a whole?
CC: I’ve been honing this craft, this genre of soul rock. I’m excited to introduce my music to people, and I really feel like it’s going to have a positive impact. I’m so proud of where this genre has gone and I think it will open more doors for more (artists) like me who are experimenting with different (styles) in Austin. Hopefully, they’ll find their way to ACL, as well. It wasn’t long ago that I played my first show at Carousel Lounge in 2019, so … I’m just looking forward to seeing it all come together on Sunday.
